Given the parts listed below that are already locked in, which mobo is the best bet for me? And why do you think that? One data point that may (or may not) be important to hgihlight is that I do want to use my two WD raptors in a RAID configuration so boards that have a superior RAID controller would be an advantage. Also, I am NOT planning to use 2x video cards and don't really need to plan for it as I am not a mega-super-gamer. So, crossfire is wasted on me.
Also, need your recommendation on what heatsink/fan to use with the CPU. The most important detail here is that I want whisper quiet (but NO water cooling--too expensive, too complicated, and too high-maintenance for me). More details are that I may do a tiny bit of overclocking but nowhere near squeezing out every last ounce of speed.
Finally, feel free to comment on what brand of 4850 video card is better than the others.
The following motherboards have been suggested (open to others but feel free to comment on these):
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX $140 shipped
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX $94 shipped
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX $108 shipped
DFI LANPARTY DK X48-T2RS LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX $230 shipped
I'd like to stay under $200, but if somebody can explain why the DFI board listed here (or some other suggestion) is worth the extra cost, I am ok going up to $250.
Hardware re-cap:
So far I have purchased:
1. Motherboard: ???
2a. CPU: INTEL Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16 GHz 1333 MHz 775 6MB Desktop Processor
2b. Heatsink/fan for the CPU: ???
3. Memory: OCZ OCZ2RPR800C44GK 4GB PC2-6400 (DDR2-800) DDR2 Memory
4a. Video card: going to go with 4850 but not sure which brand???
4b. Video card heatsink/fan: ARCTIC COOLING ACCELS1 Rev 2
5. Primary hard drive: 2X Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10000 RPM SATA 1.5Gb (planning to use a RAID configuration)
6. Additional hard drive(s): Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3500641A-RK PATA 500-GB + Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3500641AS-RK SATA 500GB
7. Primary optical drive: Lite-On LH-20A1H186C 20x DVD±RW DL IDE Drive w/LightScribe
8. Additional optical drive(s): NEC ND-3520A
9. Power supply: Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
10. Case: Antec P180
11. Monitor(s): Soyo 24" 24DYLM24D6 Widescreen LCD Monitor + Dell UltraSharp 2001FP LCD Monitor
12. Operating System: XP today (Vista tomorrow)
13. Mouse/keyboard: generic
Optional stuff
1. Memory-card reader: Ultra Media Dashboard ULT30145
2. Video-capture card and/or TV-tuner card: TV Wonder Pro Remote Control Edition
3. Audio card: N/A (just using whatever is on the M/B)
4. Speakers: cheap generic speakers (Jensen JPM-31)
5. External hard drive: N/A
6. USB flash drive: N/A
7. Headphones: None
8. Printer: N/A
9. Scanner: N/A
10. Graphics tablet: None
11. Uninterruptible Power Supply and/or surge supressor: APC BX1500
Also, need your recommendation on what heatsink/fan to use with the CPU. The most important detail here is that I want whisper quiet (but NO water cooling--too expensive, too complicated, and too high-maintenance for me). More details are that I may do a tiny bit of overclocking but nowhere near squeezing out every last ounce of speed.
Finally, feel free to comment on what brand of 4850 video card is better than the others.
The following motherboards have been suggested (open to others but feel free to comment on these):
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX $140 shipped
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX $94 shipped
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX $108 shipped
DFI LANPARTY DK X48-T2RS LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX $230 shipped
I'd like to stay under $200, but if somebody can explain why the DFI board listed here (or some other suggestion) is worth the extra cost, I am ok going up to $250.
Hardware re-cap:
So far I have purchased:
1. Motherboard: ???
2a. CPU: INTEL Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16 GHz 1333 MHz 775 6MB Desktop Processor
2b. Heatsink/fan for the CPU: ???
3. Memory: OCZ OCZ2RPR800C44GK 4GB PC2-6400 (DDR2-800) DDR2 Memory
4a. Video card: going to go with 4850 but not sure which brand???
4b. Video card heatsink/fan: ARCTIC COOLING ACCELS1 Rev 2
5. Primary hard drive: 2X Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10000 RPM SATA 1.5Gb (planning to use a RAID configuration)
6. Additional hard drive(s): Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3500641A-RK PATA 500-GB + Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3500641AS-RK SATA 500GB
7. Primary optical drive: Lite-On LH-20A1H186C 20x DVD±RW DL IDE Drive w/LightScribe
8. Additional optical drive(s): NEC ND-3520A
9. Power supply: Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
10. Case: Antec P180
11. Monitor(s): Soyo 24" 24DYLM24D6 Widescreen LCD Monitor + Dell UltraSharp 2001FP LCD Monitor
12. Operating System: XP today (Vista tomorrow)
13. Mouse/keyboard: generic
Optional stuff
1. Memory-card reader: Ultra Media Dashboard ULT30145
2. Video-capture card and/or TV-tuner card: TV Wonder Pro Remote Control Edition
3. Audio card: N/A (just using whatever is on the M/B)
4. Speakers: cheap generic speakers (Jensen JPM-31)
5. External hard drive: N/A
6. USB flash drive: N/A
7. Headphones: None
8. Printer: N/A
9. Scanner: N/A
10. Graphics tablet: None
11. Uninterruptible Power Supply and/or surge supressor: APC BX1500
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